Jeremy Casey

Boss Chris Wilder insists the heat is off his table-topping team as the Cobblers gear up for three huge games against Sky Bet League Two promotion rivals in the space of just eight days.

Instead, Wilder believes the real pressure is on opponents Leyton Orient, Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers, saying they all know they have to beat Town to stay on the right track to reach their own targets for the season.

Town go to seventh-placed Orient on Saturday, travel to third-placed Oxford on Tuesday and then host sixth-placed Wycombe next weekend.

On paper, it’s a run of fixtures that couldn’t look any tougher for the Cobblers as they try to maintain their title challenge.

But Wilder says he is relaxed about the matches, and feels the fact all three have to go for wins could play into his in-form team’s hands.

“I look at the games, and what has to happen is that all those three teams have got to come at us and go to win the games,” said the Cobblers boss, who has seen his team win their past six league games, and 11 of their past 12.

“We will go to win the games, of course we will, and I’m not saying we can afford to lose any game because we don’t want to lose anything.

“Whatever our players do they want to win, whether it’s a pre-season friendly or small-sided games in training, and that is the group mentality.

“But the other teams we are coming up against have to go out and win the games if they want to achieve, all three of them for different reasons.

“Leyton Orient, if they want to get into the promotion hunt, they have to beat us on Saturday, they have to get something.

“That won’t change our approach or attitude, and that’s the same next Tuesday, and next Saturday.”

Wilder knows the trip to Brisbane Road this weekend is going to be a tough one for his team.

“Saturday is going to be a tight game, we understand that,” said the Town manager.

“Orient are going to have parts of the game when they are on top and we will be on the back foot at times, and it’s how we deal with that that counts.

“They will recognise as well that going the other way we will dominate in parts, and we have to just keep doing what we are doing, and not changing the script.”